Torn Between You
by kinmoku2
Summary: "Ven…is that you? Or am I talking to Roxas?" The blond man smiles almost deviously. "Does it matter?" With a dull and unexciting life, Naminé Kawada has never had much luck in the romance department. Yet, when she does find love there's a problem: Mr. Right has an adventurous dual personality that she can't help but fall in love with too. RxNxV, CxT, SxK, HxO...
1. Chapter 1: Click For Love

**Torn Between You**

Summary: "Ven…is that you? Or am I talking to Roxas?"

The blond man smiles almost deviously. "Does it matter?"

With a dull and unexciting life, Naminé Kawada has never had much luck in the romance department. Love seemed like a thing only meant for fairy tales, movies and books. So, she never would have imaged finding Mr. Right so soon. Then again, she never would have imaged Mr. Right to have a dual personality either…

Chapter One: Click For Love

Tap.

_Tap. Tap._

**Tap. Tap. Tap. CLICK!**

_**ENTER!**_

'_Is this really…all I have?'_

"_Hello~_ anybody home?" chirps a singsong voice, rapping impatiently against the side of a small grey office cubicle.

The petite young woman residing in this cubicle sighs and rolls her eyes behind the thin frames of her glasses at the _very_ well known disturbance. She stops typing for a moment, detaching her pale blue eyes from the computer's glowing screen before noiselessly shuffling out of her cozy grey office chair to greet said disturbance.

"Kairi," the young woman sighs irritably, "There's no door. You don't have to knock."

Kairi laughs carelessly at the remark. "I know but it's more fun that way, don't you think?"

"If you say so…"

"Aw c'mon Naminé, liven up, will ya?" Kairi whines with a pout, "You don't always have to be so uptight, you know."

Naminé pushes a hand through her platinum blonde hair and releases an exasperated sigh. "I'm not uptight. I just have work to do."

"Yeah, I know," Kairi replies swatting away the blonde's words with an air of nonchalance, "All work and no play—not that it would kill you to take some time off every once in a while. I mean haven't you wanted to… Oh, I don't know, _relax _a little bit?"

"I relax," Naminé counters weakly, "but I have to make sure I get all of my work done first." To prove a point, Naminé gestures down towards the towering stack of papers sitting precariously on her desk and sighs. "See? And I'm not even half way through yet…"

Seemingly unfazed, Kairi blinks down at Naminé before her lips pull into a vivid and rather oblivious smile. "So what? It's not like you can't wait until tomorrow to finish, right?"

"Kairi…" Naminé mutters sullenly, but, of course, the auburn haired woman prattles on completely ignorant of the blonde's quiet protests.

"Plus," Kairi persists, "A little procrastination is actually good for you! I always pump out my best work when I've got some stress weighing down on me."

"Kairi," Naminé interrupts more loudly this time finally earning the other woman's attention, "First off, procrastination is not good for you because stress is not good for you; it causes wrinkles and unnecessary panic." Naminé then briefly pauses to adjust her silver framed glasses before releasing another heavier, dejected sigh. "More importantly, however, I can't lose my job and you know that Kairi."

"But Nami~!" Kairi moans as her lower lip juts out childishly, "It's been like…_forever _since we've hung out and…I really miss my little sis."

Looking at her auburn haired sister's pleading expression, Naminé's pale blue eyes abruptly soften as a stab of guilt hits her fragile heart. "I…I guess leaving early one day wouldn't kill me," Naminé surrenders quietly. In her mind, Naminé knew it was a foolish thing to do. Tomorrow would be hell, but…Kairi was her sister and Naminé had always been a pushover when it came to her sister.

Kairi squeals happily, pumping her fist victoriously into the air. "Yes! _Ooh_, thank you Nami! This is gonna be _so_ much fun! You won't regret it—I promise!"

A weaker smile penetrates Naminé's own face as she nods her head submissively. _'Anything for you Kairi.'_

TBYTBYTBY

"You know Nami, you really should let me do some re-decorating in here. Your apartment just seems so…_bland_," Kairi observes as her violet eyes briefly flicker across the small expanse that is her sister's apartment.

Naminé, who is warming up a pot of tea in the kitchen, sighs but doesn't bother to look back at her sister as she quietly answers. "It's fine Kai…I'm fine with it, really." Kairi always criticized the blonde's apartment when she was over, but Naminé knew it was to be expected.

Kairi was a top notch interior designer after all. Picking out flashy wallpapers with celebrities, partying the night away in lavish mansions, flaunting around in the latest fashions—that was her sister's life. Her incredibly glamorous and exciting life that Naminé could only imagine having in her wildest dreams.

Sometimes, Naminé even found herself becoming jealous of the red head's extraordinary success—especially as she toiled away at her dull, unexciting corporate job. The blonde always quickly shook it off of course, but there were still moments where Naminé wished she could be more like her sister—Fearless, Outgoing and maybe even a little bubbly if that meant she could pursue her real dreams. But…Naminé knew that could never happen. The blonde woman was far too shy to chase after any dream.

"Hmm…Well, you should at least let me do something about your drapes," Kairi says with a dissatisfied frown.

Naminé rolls her eyes at the comment but says nothing as she places the pot of tea on the coffee table and takes a seat beside her sister. Kairi immediately seizes one of the porcelain cups and smiles as she breathes in the familiar aroma of her favorite chamomile tea. "You know, no one makes tea quite like you do Nami! I mean even when I was over at Yuna Sazuki's place, the tea was never—"

"Yuna Sazuki?!" Naminé blurts, the porcelain cup in her hands almost falling to ground. "You mean the famous singer right? _That _Yuna Sazuki?"

Kairi nods nonchalantly, seemingly unfazed by her sister's reaction. "Uh-huh. I met her at while I was at a party a few months ago, and she asked if I would do the honor of designing the inside of her and her husband's new home (it was incredible by the way, and Yuna was such a sweetheart)."

"So…," Naminé deadpans with a sigh, gently setting the floral painted tea cup onto the coffee table, "long story short…you did do the interior designing for their house and now you're friends with one of Japan's biggest pop stars?"

"I'd say that sums it up pretty nicely!" Kairi says with a bright grin. "Though…I think you did miss the part where Yuna and I went to one of the local clubs, and I met an _amazing_ guy!"

"Amazing guy?" Naminé repeats skeptically. The last time Kairi had met a guy in the club, that guy had been Seifer and well…he didn't turn out to be quite so 'amazing.'

Kairi nods her head, oblivious to her sister's dubious expression. "Yeah, his name's Sora Strife. He's the high school's new swim coach apparently, and lives with his younger brother in one of the apartment complexes downtown."

"Sounds like a keeper…" Naminé murmurs, still unconvinced.

"Oh, I think he is," Kairi says with a devilish smirk, "You'll have to meet him the next time we go to the club."

Naminé stiffens at the word 'we.' "Kairi, I'm not going to the club with you again. Remember the last time I went with you? That man—"

"I know! I know! He tried feeling you up, but this time will different."

Naminé eyes her sister warily, knowing the redhead had concocted some kind of evil scheme behind her back. "How?"

"Well~," Kairi chirps in a sing-song voice, "I _might_ have set you up on Destinies-Intertwined..."

Naminé gasps and points an accusing finger at the red head. "_What!?_ You did _not_ sign me up for an online dating service!"

"Except I did," Kairi says cheekily.

"I can't believe…," Naminé exhales a breath of annoyance, "Okay, yes I _can_ believe that you would do something like this, but Kairi, you know I hate those types of things...They always end up pairing you with some one hand, fairy obsessed freak, and I am _not _dealing with another Captain Hook."

Both women shudder, but Kairi springs up and clasps her hands together beseechingly. "_Please~_ Nami! You can even change anything you don't like about your profile if you just let me help you find _someone_."

"I hate that look of yours," Naminé mutters darkly, but her resolve quickly fades into resignation. _'Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give this another try? I mean…what do I have to lose?'_

Kairi drags her sister into the artist's bedroom, and Naminé sits at her computer desk with her fingers poised as she prepares to type in the ridiculous name of the online dating website. "What was it called again?"

"Destinies-Intertwined," Her sister answers gleefully. Naminé punches the correct letters in and allows Kairi, hovering over her shoulder, to enter her username and password.

"Why did you say my username was the _blonde_mystique752_," Naminé grumbles unappreciatively, "that sounds like some kind of stripper name..."

Kairi pouts and crosses her arms. "_I_ thought it was sexy…"

Naminé rolls her eyes, but ignores her sulking sibling as her eyes glide across the glowing screen. Kairi had actually been very accurate with her profile. Her interests were few, but there was enough listed to give the essence of her personality, and the dislikes were good too. Everything was good except… "Kairi!" Naminé hisses in embarrassment and slaps her sister's arm that was leaning on the desk.

Kairi flinches. "Ow! What was that for?"

"What was that _for," _Naminé snaps, "just look at what you put on my likes section!"

"What? I just put art, puppies, classical music, and se—"

"Don't even say it!" Naminé wails and buries her face in her arms.

A devious smirk suddenly appears on Kairi's lips. "Oh, you mean sex on the beach?"

"Yes! I mean…_that_!" Naminé exclaims, but her voice is muffled.

Kairi laughs, and Naminé, confused, withdraws from her enclave of humiliation, to scowl at her older sister. "W-What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Kairi says with a laugh still bubbling in her voice, "it's just that sex on the beach is a _drink_ Nam. People order it at the bar all the time; get your head out of the gutter."

"Oh…," Naminé squeaks, "Well, still this whole thing is stupid. No good guy will ever want me. I might as well just marry whatever creepy serial killer I'm doomed to be with now…"

"You're so melodramatic," Kairi sighs, "but it _will_ work out Naminé. Just trust me."

Naminé exits from the website, but doesn't respond to her sister's encouragement.

TBYTBYTBY

"Another one?" Naminé asks herself in exasperation before putting another of Kairi's left over candy wrapper into the trash. "I love her, but sometimes…it amazes me that _I'm_ the younger sister."

Naminé picks up a few more odds and ends until she feels satisfied with the level of cleanliness in her home. Then, unceremoniously, she plops down onto into her desk chair and allows her nimble hands to glide across the keyboard of her computer. The blonde checks her Facebook account (Kairi, of course, coerced her to make it), answering any notifications and messages that accumulated since she had last logged on. Once she is done, however, Naminé's mouse hovers over the search bar. _'Should I check it…? I know it's stupid to hope, but maybe Kairi's right. Maybe this is the way to meet 'Mr. Right'…"_

The keys on the keyboard click again as Naminé types out the website's address. The link is the first one on the list, and Naminé hesitates again before clicking it. The obnoxious pink background and images of happy couples almost makes Naminé retreat, but she forces herself to enter the username and password Kairi had left on a hot pink sticky note near her keyboard.

Her profile pulls up instantly, and Naminé wants to slap her sister upside the head because clearly the red head had changed her profile picture since she had last seen it. Instead of the simple headshot that originally filled the digital square, a cutesy photo of Naminé at the beach (wearing her blue and white flowered tankini) showed up.

"Kairi…," Naminé grumbles, and moves her mouse to change the photo until she sees a bright red notification beside her profile picture. Curious, Naminé clicks on it. The new page loads quickly and reveals a potential match. No picture is immediately visible of the individual, but the message is enough of a distraction for the blonde woman.

_Hey, my name is Roxas Strife. I read your profile and you seem like a really cool girl. If you'd like, my band is playing at the Midnight Sun on Saturday and I would love for you to come see us. We could talk after and maybe even make plans for coffee later?_

Naminé reads the digital letters again and again as if to make sure they are still there. Was this really happening? "I bet he's going to look super creepy though. I mean he seems nice, but…I never end up with nice and good-looking guy." Naminé draws in a sharp breath but clicks on his profile anyway. Her eyes are closed tightly in preparation for the most hideous and extremely creepy looking man to ever grace her computer screen, but when she opens them, an audible gasp slips past her lips.

This man was _gorgeous!_

His skin is lightly dappled with a tan, his eyes are an oceanic blue...a strong, well chiseled physique and sun kissed hair that defied gravity with its softly spiked tendrils.

Naminé didn't know what to do. Her fingers hover uncertainly over the keyboard and a part of her wants to exit out of the page and never look at it again, but there's another part of her that wants to take a chance—wants to see if this 'Roxas' is the one.

"Anything is possible I suppose," Naminé mumbles to herself, "but…what if it doesn't work out?" Hastily, she picks up her phone and dials Kairi's number. The red head picks up almost instantly as if imbued with some kind of telepathy.

"_Yes?"_

"I got a message," Naminé explains curtly.

Kairi squeals and Naminé has to move the phone away from her hear until the high pitched sound dissolves. _"I knew it! Is he cute? Did you message him back?"_

"He's…attractive," Naminé admits, "but…I haven't sent him a message yet. He wants to meet up at the Midnight Sun since his band's playing there on Saturday."

"_I don't get it. An attractive guy wants to meet with you and you haven't replied to him yet?"_

"But…What if it doesn't work out?" Naminé asks in a weak whisper

"_Ugh!"_ Kairi moans and Naminé knows her sister is rolling her eyes. _"You really need to stop with this whole 'someone like me is never going to find the right guy' thing. I mean, this guy could be the one and you're letting fear stop you from finding out? You have to give him a chance Nam."_

Naminé sighs. "I guess you're right…"

"_You guess?" Kairi snorts._

"I know, know. I'll…reply to him right now."

"_And…?" Kairi prompts._

Naminé sighs again. "And tell him that I'd love to meet with him on Saturday."

"_Good girl! Now, I have to go, but I'll talk to you later. Love you!"_

"Love you too…" The lines goes dead and Naminé stares at the glowing screen before moving her fingers back to the keyboard. Hesitantly, she types out a response and hits the send button. A confirmation screen pops up, alerting Naminé that her message has been successfully sent. She exhales shakily.

TBYTBYTBY

"I look ridiculous," Naminé mutters miserably and tugs at the silky fabric of her skin tight obsidian colored dress. Her gold bangles clink against her wrists as she does this, but Kairi grabs onto her hands and stares into her eyes as though to instill confidence through osmosis.

"You, my little masterpiece, look amazing," Kairi says firmly, but there's a smile playing at her cherry lips.

Naminé nods but still looks down, her platinum hair acting as a flimsy curtain of defense. It never ceases to amaze the blonde how confident her sister is, but by the same token, how could her sister not be confident, especially with how she looked tonight? Kairi always liked to make a statement and her curve hugging, hot pink cocktail dress did just that. No jewelry wound around her neck, but chunky rings and bracelets sufficed as extra attention grabbers.

"Seriously, Nam. You look amazing, so stop worrying already and let's go get our grooves on!" Kairi encourages and Naminé finally cracks a smile as she follows her sister out her apartment door and into the lingering dawn skies.

TBYTBYTBY

Music blares so loud from the speakers scattered throughout the club that Naminé is sure her eardrums will bust at any second. There is a faint layer of smog sitting in the room and the amount of cheap perfume that wafts from several women's bodies is enough for Naminé to audibly gag. She wants to leave but Kairi pulls her hand excitedly towards two unoccupied bar stools. Naminé sits rigidly and watches as a couple dances, their bodies practically melding together as the tempo of the song picks up.

"Isn't this great?" Kairi beams over the cacophony of noise. She asks the wandering bartender for an appletini. He slides one across the mahogany counter and casts Kairi a flirtatious wink. She giggles and sips her drink.

"Depends on what you mean by great…"

Kairi pushes her sister lightly. "Don't be such a Debbie Downer. Just relax and enjoy."

Naminé sighs and continues watching couples grind with dull blue eyes. She glances at her watch after fifteen minutes, but the music sinks into the walls soon enough as the club owner steps onto the stage. He's a portly man with very little hair poorly combed over his shining head.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment tonight, we have a veteran band. Welcome The Band That Never Was onto the stage!" The crowd releases deafening cheers and Naminé isn't sure how, but she thinks her heart is beating louder.

She watches as the musicians walk onto the stage. A red haired man comes out first and sits at the flame painted drum set in the back. His jade eyes glint mischievously as he gives the crowd a rocker sign with his finger and twirls his drums like a pair of chakrams.

A grinning man with a sandy blond mullet enters next. He holds his sitar like a seasoned professional as his fingers glide across the instrument, creating electric rifts. A dour faced young man comes after him and stands at the keyboard. He doesn't smile but flicks a strand of blue-gray hair from his eyes superciliously.

Finally, two young men step onto the stage with guitars. They seem to be brothers judging by their similar facial features and as the brunette approaches the center of the state, Kairi whispers into her ear excitedly, "That's him! See? The brunette one is Sora."

But Naminé doesn't see because all her mind is able to process is _his_ existence. The way his lips move when he introduces himself and the band. The way he shuffles awkwardly and covers his eyes from the light. Naminé wants to say something to him, alert him that she was here. That she _did_ respond and she wanted to meet him.

But no words could slip past her lips and even if they did, Naminé is sure that they wouldn't reach his ears. So, she just watches as he performs and allows herself to be tangled in the notes floating from his lips.

"This next song," Roxas says into the microphone, "is called _Counting Stars_."

(One Republic)

_[Chorus]_  
_Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars_

_[Verse 1]_  
_I see this life  
Like a swinging vine  
Swing my heart across the line  
In my faces flashing suns  
Seek it out and ye shall find  
Old, but I'm not that old  
Young, but I'm not that bold  
And I don't think the world is sold  
I'm just doing what we're told_

I feel something so right  
At doing the wrong thing  
I feel something so wrong  
At doing the right thing  
I could lie, could lie, could lie  
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Naminé stands up, leaving her stool to weave herself into the crowd. Kairi follows and soon the sisters are swaying in front of the stage. Sora grins when he spots Kairi and Kairi makes a gesture towards her sister that goes unnoticed by the blonde woman.

_[Chorus]_  
_Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, we'll be counting stars_

_[Verse 2]_  
_I feel the love  
And I feel it burn  
Down this river every turn  
Hope is a four letter word  
Make that money  
Watch it burn  
Old, but I'm not that old  
Young, but I'm not that bold  
And I don't think the world is sold  
I'm just doing what we're told_

And I feel something so wrong  
At doing the right thing  
I could lie, could lie, could lie  
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly

_[Chorus]_  
_Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, we'll be counting stars_

Roxas looks out into the sea of faces swinging their bodies to the rhythm of his song and catches sight of Naminé. His lips curve upwards as another bead of sweat cascades from the side of his face.

_[Bridge 4x:]_  
_Take that money  
And watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I learned_

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

_[Chorus]_  
_Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, we'll be counting stars  
_  
_[Outro 4x:]_  
_Take that money  
And watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I learned_

When the band finishes, the audience applauds and whistles loudly. The men on stage, after thanking the crowd, drift behind the stage curtains and slowly descend from the high of performing.

"That…," Sora says in between gasps, "was awesome."

Axel, the red haired man, grins and pumps his fist in the air. "We _owned_ that stage tonight!"

"I'd say we did pretty well," the dour faced man, Zexion, agrees quietly.

"Ah c'mon," the sitar player, Demyx, elbows Zexion in the ribs lightly, "We did more that 'pretty well.' We were AMAZING!"

"Hmm…If you say so."

"I know so! Right, Roxas?"

The blond musician doesn't look up from strumming his guitar but smiles. "I think it was a great show. I mean…I didn't even think that many people would show up tonight."

"I didn't think that many _babes_ would show up," Axel says and peeks his head around the curtain to see several women dressed in skimpy club attire.

Sora laughs. "Is that all you think about?"

"Hey," Axel holds his hands up defensively, "I wasn't the one ogling the red head in the front row _Sora._"

"I wasn't ogling her," Sora flushes, "I just know her alright?"

"She's the girl you've been seeing, isn't she," Roxas asks, finally bothering to lift his eyes from the guitar.

"Her name's Kairi, and yeah, she's the girl I've been going out with. Her sister was in the crowd too I think. Kairi said she was bringing her."

"Sister?" Axel inquires with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle, "Was this 'sister' the curvaceous lady standing next to her?"

"Beats me," Sora says with a shrug.

Demyx and Axel continue discussing the babe pool, but Roxas jerks his thumb towards the direction of the bar. "I'm going to get a drink." Sora eyes him wearily. "Water," Roxas amends, "I want a bottle of water."

The muscles in Sora's body relax, and he pulls out his phone to help ease his boredom.

TBYTBYTBY

Naminé sips at her mimosa gingerly, watching her sister talk animatedly with a cluster of people who had recognized and admired her. Abruptly, the bar stool beside her screeches across the floor, and Naminé, startled, almost knocks her drink over.

"Sorry," she hears a low apology trail from the individual next to her. Naminé steadies her drink but shakes her head and turns her head to look at the man.

"It's no problem. I'm clumsy anyhow and—hey, you're _him_, aren't you?"

Roxas chuckles uneasily, "By him, I assume you mean the singer, right?"

"Yeah, that too but um…," Naminé averts her eyes from his and fidgets, "You're Roxas Strife…right?"

Roxas eyes the woman beside him with growing interest and attraction, watching as her cheeks glow with a subtle ruddiness that exhibited her shy nature.

"Last time I checked," He responds with a small smile. The bartender waltzes over and Roxas asks for his bottle of water before returning his gaze to Naminé.

Naminé's heart thrashes in her chest as self-doubt begins to blossom in her stomach. He did recognize her, didn't he? Sure, Naminé wasn't wearing her bathing suit but he had to have at least _glanced _at her face.

"My name is Naminé Kawada," Naminé introduces herself and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear shyly. "I was the one you sent that message to on Destinies-Intertwined?"

Roxas furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "Destinies-Intertwined? Is that…some sort of _dating_ site?"

Naminé wants to both crawl into a hole and strangle Kairi but she refrains as she attempts to keep her shaking from spreading further than her exposed legs.

"Y-Yes it is and…you s-sent me a m-message," Naminé stutters weakly.

Roxas blinks uncomprehendingly, but something clicks in the musician's head once he spots his older brother conversing with the Kairi. _"Sora!"_

The brunette swallows, pales and then smiles uneasily. "What's up, bro?"

Roxas, however, does not speak to Sora first. He looks to the red haired woman and points at her accusingly. "Did you have my brother set up an account on for me and send out a message to _her_?" Roxas moves his pointer finger to Naminé and she shuffles uncomfortably.

"First off," Kairi says, lowering his hand, "it's rude to point, but second off, yes I did. Sora and I were talking and we agreed that my sister and you would make a great match, so you don't need thank me but—"

"Thank you?" Roxas snorts but his eyes soften as he flicks his blue eyes back to Naminé. _'She is really cute and…I don't know…maybe it would be worth at least one more try to find someone…'_ "Actually…Yeah, thank you." Sora mouths a silent 'sorry' but Roxas ignores him as he walks back over to Naminé.

"So," he begins with a shy smile, "what did I write in this message?" Naminé looks at him uncertainly, but Roxas offers a prompting smile and she tells him the contents of the message.

"But you don't have to. I mean this whole thing was completely set up and—"

"How about the coffee place that just opened up, Beauty and a Brew. I heard there's even a book store attached run by the same couple who owns the coffee shop," Roxas suggests, surprising himself with how forward he is being and secretly fearing that it's his medication is wearing off.

"I-I'd love to," Naminé stutters and the two quickly exchange phone numbers before leaving the club.

Once outside again, Kairi teases her sister. "Aren't you glad I played match maker this time?"

Naminé's heart flutters in her chest and try as she might, can't chastise her sister without a smile on her face. "You really shouldn't have though. I mean he's probably only doing this because he feels sorry for me."

"Yes, and his checking you out was out of pity too," Kairi nods her head in mock approval, "It all makes sense now." Naminé shoves her sister lightly, eliciting an angry 'hmph' from the red head. "You really should be grateful Nam. I set you up with a gorgeous guy and from what Sora's said, his brother and you have a lot in common."

"Really? Like what?"

Kairi shrugs, "You're both shy and into that Sword Art anime and I dunno…probably other stuff too. I just can't think of more right now. My brain is a little fuzzy."

"Well maybe, if you hadn't drank so many margaritas, your brain wouldn't be so fuzzy," Naminé teases lightly.

"I regret nothing," Kairi sniffs before proceeding to almost walk into a pole. Naminé laughs, hope budding in her chest.

**TBYTBYTBY**

**A/N: Remember when I said that there would be some trailers for new fics? Well, this is the first one I have had in my brain for over two years. I've edited and reedited it, so you guys get the well-polished version.**

**As stated before in other stories, I'm really trying to see what ideas are worth pursuing and which ones need to be scrapped, especially since this one would require some research into schizophrenia/multiple personality disorder. This story, if I did continue it, would range from 15-20 chapters so not super long but not super short. Pairings will probably include: RokuNami, Sokai, Haynette, a one-sided PencexNamine, Larxel, and probably some Cloti since I'm hoping to change things up a little bit if I do continue the story.**

_**Please Review, alert and favorite if this idea is worth pursuing!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Beauty and a Brew

Chapter 2: _Beauty and a Brew_

"_Hot date tomorrow, huh?"_

Roxas wants to groan as he sees his other personality materialize beside him, but keeps his eyes focused on the mirror in front of him. "Yeah, and you won't be coming, Ven," Roxas retorts, splashing water on his face.

Ven laughs and smirks. _"What? You think __**I'll **__ruin the date?"_

"To be quite frank," Roxas deadpans, wiping his face with a towel, "yes. If you're anywhere near her, she'll end up coming home with me and…"

"_You'll end up sleeping with her?"_ Ven finishes smugly.

"Did you forget what happened with my last girlfriend?" Roxas finally looks at his doppelganger, placing a hand on the sink; the memories rushing through his mind of a once happy relationship turned sour thanks to his other personality.

Ven merely rolls his eyes and places a hand on his other's shoulder with what is supposedly reassurance lacing his voice. _"I did you a favor and besides, have I seen this new girl? No. So, if she's ugly, you have nothing to worry about. You know I only charm the sexy dates you have (which lately, has been very few)."_

"Just keep away from her," Roxas says hotly, "I can't have you destroying another relationship a-and she's a sweet girl. She doesn't deserve to—"

"_Have the honor of meeting me,"_ Ven interrupts with a sneer, _"You're right, Roxas. I'm always the problem. You do everything right even though, if it weren't for me, you would never get past base one."_

"I want a real relationship, Ven!" Roxas snaps, "Not just one based on physical gratification!"

"_Here we go again,"_ Ven mutters darkly.

The phantom glides forward, his face mere inches from Roxas. _"Relax, Roxas, and face the facts: without me, you'd get nowhere in any of your relationships. Sure, you're 'sweet' but I'm daring. I'm the guy that brings a little excitement into their dull lives. You need me."_

Roxas clamps his hands around his head and snarls at his double. "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED YOU, VEN!" The voice of Ven, however, refuses to dissipate and Roxas, in a fit of fury, smashes his fist against the mirror. Shards of glass splatter across the bathroom tile, some stray pieces landing in Roxas' blond spikes.

The noise of shattering glass reverberates against the bathroom tile and floats underneath the door, bringing Sora, who is mulling over last Saturday's swim meet videos, to a frantic sprint as he desperately hurries to the source of chaos.

"The door is locked," the brunette grumbles as he jiggles the knob, "dammit…Roxas? Roxas, are you okay in there?"

There is a moment of silence before his brother's screams fill the air again and Sora bangs on the door louder, this time calling his brother's other personality. "Ven? What's going on in there?"

"Nothing that's your concern," Ven calls back coolly.

Roxas snarls back a reply that echoes against each tiled wall, and Sora shakes his head. This happens whenever his brother's medicine begins to wear off—something that has been happening more often lately. Sora had suggested that his brother simply increase the dosage of his medication, but Roxas was adamant about gaining control of his other personality, since an increased dosage would only serve to ensnare him in a zombie state that would greatly hinder his musical ambitions.

"I think this is my concern," Sora retorts calmly, and from his pocket draws a sedative infused syringe, "now, open the door, Ven. I need to speak to Roxas."

Ven snorts. "I'm not stupid, Sora. You're going to dope me up so Roxas can have control again, but you know, I think our little Roxas is enjoying his nap. He's been very tired lately."

"…" Sora doesn't reply but pulls his body back enough so that one good ram will hopefully knock the door down and enable him to 'dope' his brother's other personality up.

Breathing in sharply, Sora tenses his muscles and sprints towards the door. The impact of his shoulder blade against the wood shakes the doorframe, but Sora is still unable to rescue his little brother. The brunette pants and raps his fist on the door again and again.

No response comes from the other side, and Sora feels desperation gnawing at the pit of his stomach. If his brother couldn't open the door, he would have to call the hospital (again), and Roxas would be detained for at least two weeks—meaning any upcoming gigs would have to be cancelled.

"Ven, please," Sora begs with his back against the wall and head leaning on the wooden frame.

Finally, the door opens to reveal a dazed Roxas who is caught between himself and his other personality. "Sora," Roxas croaks weakly and clutches his head in pain, "help…"

Sora gives a resolute nod, wrenches his resistant sibling over and plugs the needle into his skin. The blond fights back for a moment, eyes briefly filled with Ven's malice, before dilating and shutting away the light.

Panting loudly, Sora drops to the ground from exhaustion and shakes his head at his now unconscious brother. "It really is getting worse, isn't it?"

TBYTBYTBYTBY

Naminé stares at the freshly brewed cup of tea in her hands, the amber liquid reflecting her apprehensive expression upon its steaming surface. A gust of wind passes through the air and tousles her hair with wispy kisses. The blonde woman is at her best friend Olette's house. Olette is a fair-skinned woman with wavy coffee colored hair and peridot eyes decorating her kindly face. Conveniently, the coffee haired woman is also her older brother, Hayner's girlfriend.

"Kairi told me about your little adventure at the club," Olette starts and sips at her tea in her usual lady-like manner.

"I'm sure she did," Naminé mutters darkly, "Kairi has never been tightlipped after all."

Olette giggles into her hand at Naminé's grave visage, but chides her friend gently. "You know Kairi never meant any harm. That's just her way of showing she loves you."

Naminé sets her orange blossom tea down on the grated round table and looks out from the terrace with a resigned crease in her otherwise smooth forehead. It isn't that Naminé didn't appreciate the thought behind her sister's gesture. It was just that she never let the blonde woman in on any of her schemes. Naminé was always the one giving the doe-eyed, completely lost stare when her sibling's plot came into fruition.

Seven stories below, cars chug along the newly paved street, and wandering pedestrians seem to be oblivious as they flagrantly stand in front of impatient drivers who are most likely late for work, thanks to the thoughtless nomads blocking their entrance onto the next lane.

"So," Olette chimes quietly, "you have a date with this Roxas, right?"

Naminé snaps her gaze back to the brunette and presses a wavering smile onto her lips. "Yeah, we're meeting at a coffee shop…"

"You don't sound too excited," Olette comments worriedly, setting her own cup of simmering liquid down.

Naminé heaves a weighty sigh and flops a pale hand up to cup her cheek. "He's perfect, Olette. He's sweet, nice, talented and attractive…"

"Sounds like a real problem," Olette says sarcastically.

"It is!" Naminé protests with an audible huff, ""No one can be that perfect without having some sort of flaw, Lett."

"Do you always have to over-analyze things?" Olette asks, sighing. When Naminé can only pick stray lumps of fuzz from her sweater, Olette adds sternly, "It's a date Naminé, and if you like this guy, you shouldn't be so critical. Just go on the date and have some fun."

Naminé twists her lips but quickly relents with a sigh of her own. "I guess you're right. He's a nice guy and I'm sure the date will go—"

"Who's going on a date? Because it better not be my baby sister." Hayner's voice is loud as he walks onto the terrace with a cool beer in his hand and an angry scowl.

"Hayner," Olette chastises austerely, "Naminé is nearly twenty-four years old. She's going to date guys whether you like it or not."

"Says the woman who just about beat up her baby sister's delinquent boyfriend," Hayner retorts smartly. He tries to kiss his girlfriend's lips, but Olette dodges and casts a pointed look at the blond.

"She was barely fifteen, Hayner, and that boy was a menace," Olette huffs, blowing her bangs.

Hayner wags his finger at his girlfriend. "Still proves my point. Now, Naminé…" Hayner redirects his gaze at his little sister, "who's this tool who thinks he can take my baby sister out on a date without asking me first?"

"I'm not giving you his name, Hayner," Naminé replies defiantly and crosses her arms. The thought of having her older brother storming in on her date nearly gives the blonde woman a migraine.

"Fine, but if this guy pulls anything funny, you know I'll be there to whoop his ass." Hayner pumps his fist in the air, the aura of macho almost suffocating the two women beside him.

"Yes, I know who to call, but seriously, Hayner, you should—" Naminé's cell phone buzzes, interrupting the scolding Naminé is about to condemn her brother with. The blonde woman taps the green call button. "Hello?"

"_So…have you picked out a hot outfit for your date yet?"_

"What do you think?" Naminé deadpans.

"_You're really too predictable, Nami." _Kairi sighs dramatically on the other line, but quickly shifts to picking out exactly which pieces of clothing would look amazing on her little sister.

"_And those purple flats would look beyond perfect with—"_

Naminé can't help but laugh. "Seriously, Kai. It's like you know my wardrobe better than me."

"_Sadly, that's probably true," _Kairi admits with a laugh of her own, _"but I am expecting you to wear something sexy for your first date."_

"I'm not wearing anything risqué on my date, especially since we're going to a coffee shop." From the corner of her eye, Naminé can see her elder brother's upper lip curl in disgust.

"_Fine, but you better let me at least approve what you're planning on wearing before you go out," _Kairi says, and Naminé can practically see her sister pouting on the other line.

"Yes, oh great fashion guru," Naminé mocks with a budding smirk, "all wardrobe-related things will be approved by you before I even think about stepping foot out of my apartment."

"_I knew you would understand." _Kairi sighs dreamily and continues to babble on incomprehensively until there's a loud beep that Naminé can only assume is from whatever burning concoction Kairi had stuffed into her oven. _"AH! NOT THE MUFFINS! I—Nami…I have to—"_

"Bye, Kairi," Naminé says, promptly ending the call. The blonde woman then looks back at her friend and brother, rolls her eyes. "I still don't understand how I ended up being the younger one. Kairi's still as—"

"Much of a self-absorbed diva as ever," Hayner finishes snidely. He ignores the fierce green eyes burning his skin. "That's not news to me, Naminé. Kairi hasn't changed since the day I met her. I'm surprised you've been able to deal with her for so long."

"Hayner, it's not Kairi's fault that Dad and your Mom split up. They were both unhappy in their marriage." Naminé tries to grasp her brother's shoulder, but he shrugs her off bitterly.

"It's her fault that they even met in the first place."

Naminé's eyes darken. "If they didn't meet, I wouldn't be here…"

"That's not what I meant," Hayner amended hastily, "I just mean…she was the one who, like…instigated the divorce and then Dad married her Mom and had you, which I'm totally happy about, but it's how she acts like Daddy's little princess just because her Dad walked out on her. I mean, doesn't it feel like she just orchestrates your life?"

"Sometimes, but I know that she means well," Naminé confesses softly. When Olette's efforts at quelling her boyfriend's annoyance fail, Naminé pours a few syllables from her lips again; the expression on her face distant as her eyes follow the slowly greying clouds looming above. "You just need to let go of the past, Hayner. Kairi is your sister now. You can't change that."

"Step-sister, and that doesn't mean I have to like or get along with her," Hayner retorts coldly, causing Naminé's darkened eyes to glisten with tears.

Olette intervenes and wraps an arm around her best friend; her jade eyes dangerously on the brown-eyed man whose features teeter between regret and stubborn resolution. "Hayner, I think you should leave and give your sister—" she pauses to pointedly glare at her boyfriend, "some space. I'll go brew some more tea for us, Naminé."

Naminé numbly nods her head and barely lifts her face to watch Olette leave. Hayner pulls out a pack of cigarettes, lights one and blows silent circles into the air. Neither sibling can find anything to say to one another.

"You know I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, right?"

Naminé's fingernails dig into her palms pressed firmly at her sides, small half-moons denting her skin. Her blonde hair acts as a curtain of defense, enabling her to shield her sullen expression. "You didn't have to start in on her like that, Hayner. You could have just kept your mouth shut and been happy for once in your life, but you just can't seem to ever do that. Not about my date, not about my sister…anything."

Hayner keeps his voice level as he eases himself up from the chair, not even bothering to place an apologetic hand on his sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Naminé, but I do hope you know that my offer still stands about this date of yours. If anything happens, you know I'll be there for you."

"…"

Hayner mutters something indistinguishable under his breath, but brushes past his sister without another word.

TBYTBYTBYTBY

Naminé's hands glide across the keyboard, punching in a series of letters and numbers that are only comprehensible to her. Eight hours stuffed into her cubicle and she still isn't done. The digital clock on her computer reads almost five o'clock and usually Naminé is finished by about five thirty.

'_Just a little while longer…unless I have to work overtime again…'_

"Say cheese!" a voice calls out cheerily, a bright flash of light quickly following. Naminé blinks her tired eyes rapidly to erase the gold dots in front of her eyes.

"Pence," Naminé says, "what are you doing here? I don't get off of work for another half hour—and that's if I don't end up working overtime again."

The chubby, raven-haired man rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I just couldn't resist coming to give you this—" Pence extends a smooth vanilla envelope, and Naminé tears it open, listening as her friend continues to rattle on. "It's for the big art competition this year and since you're an artist-to-be, I figured this would be something you'd like to participate in."

Naminé shakes her head, sighing as she slips the entry sheet back into its paper enclave. "Pence, you know my work isn't good enough to win something like this. I'd only be making a fool out of myself."

"Uh-huh," Pence nods his head with a teasing smile, "sure you aren't, but at least try once. You never know what could happen, and besides, your art is amazing. I don't even know why you still work in that little box. You could already have your own studio by now."

"I have work, Pence. I can't just drop everything to create some piece that probably wouldn't even win. It would take too much time to do anyway." Naminé can see the exasperation on her childhood friend's face, and her own features dip with guilt.

Pence, however, isn't deterred as he presses the blonde ardently. "But this could be your shot at achieving your _real _dream Naminé! The one you always talked about pursuing when we were kids…Naminé, you can't always let fear keep you from chasing after what you really want in life."

"But…," Naminé begins to protest, but the words of her sister, much like Pence's, fill her mind. _'What if Pence is right? Kairi was right about Roxas, and this really is something I want—I mean I like my job now, but is this really what I want to be doing for the rest of my life?' _The mere thought of wrinkling in her grey cubicle nearly makes Naminé shudder in horror. She has to take the leap, even if it backfires on her. "…Fine. I'll try, but when I don't win, I get to say I told you so."

Pence chuckles at Naminé's reaction before handing her the photo his disposable camera had just taken. "You can use this for the contestant profile page."

Naminé lifts an eyebrow at the confused and bleary-eyed woman in the photo and hands it back. "I think I'll use a different one for that, and for future reference, tell me when you're going to take a photo so I don't look hideous."

"I don't think you look hideous," Pence mumbles, "I think you look really pretty." Red rises to his pale face, and Naminé smiles, unaware of the reason behind the heat in his cheeks.

"Thanks, but I'm still going to change the picture. I know artists can be weird, but I'm not at that level quite yet," Naminé says with a light laugh.

"…"

Naminé sobers at her friend's lack of response and tilts her head at him curiously. "Is something wrong, Pence?"

"N-Nothing! I'm fine. I just have to head out to take photos of some girl for her senior pictures," Pence replies hastily, his face nearly beet red as he shuffles out of Naminé's cubicle and scrambles down the dimly lit aisles.

Naminé mumbles something to herself and secures the vanilla envelope in the top right drawer of her desk. Maybe she has more than a snowball's chance in hell at winning. Just maybe.

TBYTBYTBY

"I've been up for the past two nights, but I haven't been able to figure out the rest of these stupid lyrics," Roxas complains, lounging with one leg draped over the head of the couch as he taps his pen against the side of his head rhythmically.

Sora raises an eyebrow at his brother, chin resting on his palm. The TV screen directly in front of them blares loudly, images flashing rapidly from Sora's constant channel flipping. "Is that why we had a surprise visit from your alter? Or was that from me forgetting to put back that book in the exact order you left it?"

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Sora," Roxas says irritably, "and I can't help that I have insomnia or compulsive issues. And besides, it wasn't from that. Something…triggered him to come out…"

The overly made up actress on the screen dramatically embraces her co-star, holding him tightly as she breathes sweet nothings into his ear—Sora changes the channel, eyes glazed but growing less dim at his brother's words. "I'm not a mind reader, so what happened?"

"…Dad called…"

Sora freezes and turns to face his brother beside him. "I thought I told him to call me first if he wanted to talk to you."

"Clearly," Roxas rolls his eyes, "he didn't get the message."

"What did he even want?"

Roxas quiets down, his voice suddenly low. "He wants us to come over to remember Mom's death and maybe visit her grave with some of the other relatives."

"And he threatened to call the asylum if someone makes an unexpected visit while the rest of the family is over, didn't he?" Sora asks gently.

Roxas can't swallow back his shame as he nods silently. The brunette releases a sigh, trying to string together the right words of encouragement before his brother's mood swings in a dangerous direction.

"You'll be fine. Dad was just being an ass; he knows what happens when says crap like that."

"Doesn't make things any easier," Roxas mutters angrily.

"So, how about your date, is that still on?" Sora adds hurriedly, "I know you were looking forward to that—I mean, Kairi's sister is pretty cute."

Roxas' mood shifts instantly, a smile alighting upon his lips as he sits up to elbow his elder brother. "Yeah, but you really need to learn how to mind your own business next time, bro. I'm glad things worked out, but I don't need you and your girlfriend playing cupid."

"C'mon, Roxas," Sora grins and ruffles his little brother's hair, "I did you a favor. This girl seems solid and could end up being just the right one for you."

"Until she finds out about _him_," Roxas spits sullenly, his good mood gone as quickly as it had come.

Sora replies softly, "Not everyone is going to be like her, Roxas. You're long overdue for a good relationship, and Naminé…I just know that she's the one…call it brother's intuition, but you two…I saw how you looked at her at the show—you clicked."

"You're watching way too many chick flicks," Roxas snorts.

"Just don't push her away," Sora advises gently, "at least give her a chance."

Roxas lifts his guitar up from behind the couch and strums it without another word. Sora wants to press his brother, but relents, moving his oceanic eyes back to the glowing screen in front of him.

TBYTBYTBY

"A portfolio, huh?" Naminé says to herself, flipping through another page of the contest instructions. Now past eight, Naminé is nestled against the fabric of her couch with a cup of steaming tea resting elegantly on her coffee table—the porcelain painted with colorful swirls and flowery prints that Naminé had designed herself. "I guess I should try starting something, even if it's just a quick sketch."

The blonde woman gets up to grab the well-loved sketchbook leaning against her copy of _The Scarlet Letter. _The classic flops forward, landing face first onto the polished oak that composes her bookshelf.

Naminé begins to hum to herself, unsheathing the pencil tucked within the spirals sitting atop her sketchpad before grazing grey lines across one of the blank pages. She doesn't realize the clock hands moving above her until a knock on her door snaps her out of the happy haze she had encapsulated herself in.

"I wonder who that could be?" Naminé murmurs, setting down her sketch pad that is now filled with the image of a fantastical and fairytale-like landscape. Another knock and the addition of a very peppy voice, however, gives the identity of the stranger away. "Kairi…" Naminé stalks to her door and practically throws it open. "It's already 9:30pm, Kairi! What are you doing—"

"Wow, Kairi. I forgot what a little spazz your sister was." The voice that floats through the door makes Naminé's skin crawl and her already pale cheeks fade to a more ghostly white.

Naminé smiles plastically and greets her sister's snobby friend. "Hi, Selphie, what are you doing here?"

"Kairi said you needed some help picking out an outfit for your date tomorrow," Selphie comments dryly as she waltzes through Naminé's front door with a pink duffle bag in tow. Kairi bounds in after her. "Though," Selphie adds with a sneer, "I can see why."

Naminé pulls at the collar of her polka dot shirt under her robe self-consciously and blushes at the floppy eared Doug slippers on her feet. Kairi is ignorant of her friend's jeers and snatches a pear from the fruit bowl sitting on top Naminé's kitchen isle, tossing the oddly shaped fruit up in the air.

"And plus, I know how frantic you get if I don't help you," Kairi beams brightly and takes a bite out of the pear.

"I don't get frantic," Naminé counters with annoyance, "and why couldn't you have come earlier? You know I don't like to stay up late when I have plans the next day."

Selphie snorts something derogatory under her breath, refusing to deign so far as to actually sit on Naminé's furniture. The blonde woman wishes she could escort the snooty brunette out of her apartment and never permit her overly perfumed body to walk through her door again.

"We would have, but I didn't know how late you would be working tonight and then there was this shoe sale that was to die for!" Kairi gushes. She extends her foot to show off her new fuchsia pumps.

Naminé only flicks her eyes over, too focused on Selphie's disdainful sneers as she saunters through her home. "That's nice, Kai, now can we just get this over with so I can get ready for bed?" The redhead pouts and complains about Naminé's lack of appreciation of her latest fashion treasure, but follows the blonde as she leads her two uninvited guests to her closet.

Selphie wrinkles her nose at the palette of grey and white decorating her room, even having the gall to drop one of her grey knit sweaters onto the carpet. "Haven't you ever heard of adding a little color to your décor? I'm not even an interior designer, and I know that."

"I like my apartment the way it is…" Naminé grazes her hand along the white wood bookshelf standing against the wall closest to her closet. Various classics and fantasy novels line each shelf, and tiny little knick knacks are splayed across the top. _'Maybe I should have sprung for the baby blue bed set instead of grey? Or spent the extra ten dollars for the pastel green paint…even my jewelry is boring…' _Naminé purses her lips at the dinky little dresser beside her bed, but snaps back into reality at the sound of her sister vocalizing her distaste.

"Do you have anything else? These are all nice, but they won't work for a first date."

Naminé rolls her eyes. "Not unless you brought something with." Kairi's lips curve into a mischievous grin. "You brought clothes, didn't you?"

"Considering all the crap you have," Selphie says looking at her nails, "what did you expect? You should be lucky your sister was so generous as to buy you a new outfit without even expecting anything but your gratitude in return."

If Naminé could, she would have throttled Selphie. "Kairi, you know I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you know my style isn't quite…well, _yours_."

"I know," Kairi sighs, brushing her sister's words away, "which is why I got you this!" Kairi prompts Selphie who hands her a pink duffle bag. The redhead then fishes out a white pencil skirt, pastel blue blouse and royal blue heels. "I figured you could just wear one of the pieces of jewelry you have, like the pendant Dad gave you for your birthday last year."

Naminé can't help but gawk at the clothing that is surprisingly tailored exactly to her tastes. "K-Kairi," she murmurs in awe, "this is…perfect. I was expecting something ridiculous but…" Naminé stops herself to wrap an arm around her sister. "I shouldn't have doubted you. Though, I wish I could pay you back…" Naminé lightly brushes the chiffon fabric of her new blouse.

Kairi shoves the clothing into her sister's hands. "It's a gift, Naminé. The whole point is that you don't need to do anything in return. It's free."

"Still, thank you, Kairi," Naminé says.

"You're welcome!"

Selphie taps Kairi on the shoulder before gesturing to the Versaci watch on her wrist. "We should probably go if you don't want to be late to Yuna's party."

Kairi pulls out her iPhone to check the time for herself. "You're right. Well, I guess we'll be off then."

"Alright," Naminé says with a smile. She isn't even annoyed by her sister's latest celeb-filled party.

Before exiting the bedroom door, Kairi turns her head around and looks back at Naminé. "But you better tell me how that date of yours goes. Spare me NO detail."

"I'll call you when I get home," Naminé replies, waving goodbye as her sister and the annoying brunette accompanying her head back out into the night.

TBYTBYTBY

Roxas blows steam off the top of his hot chocolate, savoring the warmth as the air conditioning sends gales of cool down from the ceiling vents. His eyes dart about anxiously as he tries to catch the familiar glimpse of cornflower hair.

"She's not going to stand you up," Roxas assures himself, but his hands start to shake as another minute ticks by. She isn't late, but Roxas can't help feeling panicked. "She's not like your last ten blind dates. She's sweet, beautiful, slightly awkward and—"

"Sorry I'm late," Naminé greets, her cheeks flushed as she takes the seat across from Roxas. "Traffic was horrible."

Roxas smiles, tension leaving his coiled muscles. "That's okay. I was just drinking my hot chocolate." Roxas holds his warm beverage up, forgetting his shaky hands as the cup tips forward and splashes his date's cardigan with a few stray drops of hot chocolate. Naminé blinks at the liquid droplets clinging to her shirt. Roxas, however, begins to frantically apologize and dab at the stains before realizing the awkward location of said stains. "I-I am so sorry. I…I should just leave or…now! I should buy you a new cardigan and then never bother you again. I'm so horrible. This is not the way I thought this date would go and I'm just really—"

Naminé starts to laugh. "It's fine. I got this cardigan at a thrift for a whopping two dollars and fifty cents, so it's not anything to worry about."

"Still," Roxas hesitates, biting his lip, "Can I least buy your coffee?"

"I would like that," Naminé says. She discards her stained cardigan on the back of the chair and comes up with the stuttering man who she can't help but smile at.

When they come back with Naminé's caramel-cookie coffee cooler, one of _Beauty and a Brew's _specials, the two blonds ease into a comfortable conversation with one another.

"And Asuna was trapped in that weird cage in Alfheim Online…I literally kept shouting at the screen, especially with Sugo trying to make her his queen and—ahh!" Naminé shields her face under her arms with an embarrassed blush. "I sound like such a geek."

Roxas grins and chuckles. "Trust me, my brother came running in when Kirito finally found Asuna, and I was jumping on the couch, shouting at my TV."

"Wow, I guess you're a geek too," Naminé teases.

"I guess so."

Naminé sips at her coffee treat happily. "So, tell me, Mr. Strife, what kind of music do you like?"

"I like a good mix of things, but I've been listening to a lot of Bruno Mars lately, and of course Elvis and the Beatles. You can't really beat the classics," Roxas answers.

"I'm the same way," Naminé admits, "I love a lot of the classics, but I really enjoy a lot of the top forty music too, especially Yuna."

"She's really good too," Roxas agrees.

Naminé starts to add in her sister's job as Yuna's interior designer but stops when she notices the sudden crease in his forehead. "Roxas, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Roxas says with a pained grin, "just a little headache."

"Should we call it a day then?" Naminé asks worriedly.

Roxas' eyes widen and his hand shoots forward to prevent her from leaving. "I'm fine. I get these headaches all the time."

"If you're sure," Naminé mumbles uncertainly.

"So," Roxas adds hastily, "besides your sister, do you have any other siblings?"

Naminé's eyes soften and she looks out the window with a subtle frown on her lips. "I have an older brother too from my Dad's previous marriage. He's nice, albeit a little overprotective. What about you?"

"Just Sora," Roxas says with a simple shrug, his eyes distant.

"You two are close, aren't you?" Naminé asks.

Roxas sighs and rubs his temple. "He's…he's always been there for me, especially since…"

"Since?" Naminé presses, but Roxas' eyes grow dark and a playful smirk forms on his lips.

"Let's not talk about family," Roxas purrs, grasping Naminé's pale hand.

Naminé eyes the blond man uncertainly but nods. "Okay, what do you want to talk about then?"

"How about," Roxas suggests, "the night we met. Did you know how incredibly sexy you looked that night?"

"Roxas…," Naminé flushes.

"Really," Roxas insists, "you looked absolutely stunning, and that dress? I'm surprised some other guy didn't come and snap you up."

Naminé isn't sure what's going on but the strokes to her ego aren't unwelcomed. "You're just saying that. Guys aren't into me. They're into girls like Kairi, not me."

"On the contrary," Roxas disagrees, "I remember seeing quite a few men checking you out that night, especially with that dress you were wearing. I mean your legs looked great."

"I don't normally wear stuff like that. It was Kairi's idea," Naminé explains and averts her eyes from his hypnotic orbs.

Roxas grins up at her, flashing a set of blindingly white teeth. "Well, you should. Sometimes it's good to just loosen up, you know? Have a little fun and forget about wearing a certain persona because that's what people expect."

Naminé's swallows and slides her hand back under the table. "Maybe…but I'm really not that—Roxas? Are you okay?"

Roxas clenches his jaw and holds a hand to his head. "Never been better. I just have to…use the bathroom for a minute."

"Alright…" Naminé watches worriedly as her date stumbles to the back of the shop.

TBYTBYTBY

"I can't believe you," Roxas mutters angrily as he fights his alter for the pill bottle stuffed in his back pocket. "Just one time…just one time I'd like to have a normal date and you have to ruin it."

Ven sneers. _"She didn't seem to mind."_

"Yeah, well, I'm sure she won't mind you leaving either." Roxas squeezes his eyes shut tightly and yanks the bottle out, hastily popping back a large red pill (and nearly choking on it). His alter protests relentlessly, but his angry cries dissipate into a dull roar as the sedatives quickly flood his veins.

Vision now blurry, Roxas falls back into the paper towel dispenser before staggering out the door and back to his awaiting date. Naminé looks up at Roxas, waving him over with a smile until she notices his disoriented gait.

"Um…"

Roxas laughs sleepily. "My headache just won't go away, so I'm thinking we should call it a day and uh…if you want, there's this carnival coming up and—"

"I would love to go, Roxas, but are you sure you don't need a lift home?"

Roxas shakes his head and flops back in his seat. "My brother and I have some stuff to do later anyway, and I know this is his favorite place to drink caffeinated beverages, so I'll just wait till he stops by."

"You're sure?" Naminé feels that she should be more suspicious of Roxas' odd behavior but shrugs it off, too blinded by the sudden fluttering in her stomach.

"I'm sure, so I'll see you next Friday," Roxas says, "and I'll text you when I get home."

Naminé slips her cardigan back on, smiles at Roxas and impulsively pecks him on the cheek. "Alright, see you then!"

Hazily, Roxas grins and touches his cheek. _'A second date…maybe Sora was right?'_

**TBYTBYTBY**

**A/N: Another chapter…finally. I decided this would become a full time project given the storyline potential. Updates will probably come once a month since not only do the chapters take forever to write, but I also have school which sucks up quite a bit of time. Thank you to everyone who took the time to show that this story is worth writing through your reviews, alerts, favorites and simply reading the story itself! I appreciate your support immensely!  
**

**Thank you to my amazing beta Gengajupite who sat through and caught all of my silly mistakes. **

**Please read, favorite, alert and review if you can!:D!**

**Notes: **

1. Kairi is Hayner's step-sister, but both her and Hayner are Naminé's half siblings (Kairi via her mother and Hayner via his father).

2. I recently discovered that schizophrenia and MPD are not the same thing. Moreover Multiple Personality Disorder is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). So, Roxas will have DID in this story just to be clear.

3. Ven's 'appearances happen because Roxas is having a visual hallucination that allows him to 'see' his alter.

4. Ven does come off as very unlike his KH counterpart, but the OOCness does have a purpose in the story.

Review Replies:

Lisa: Thank you:) I always do my best to be as original as possible and I thought it would be a good writing experience to portray a character with a psychiatric disorder like this. They are, aren't they and thank you again! I'll do my best:)

Guest: Thank you! I hope you like this next chapter:)

Aru: XD I thought it would be a less conventional way for them to meet and haha, I love SAO:) Thank you and I hope you like this chapter since I'm not sure when Two Nations will be updated.


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